Published in Quad-City Times Oct. 3, 2025
The minutes keep ticking by. The deck keeps stacking up – now with the addition of a federal government shutdown – I know the time is coming.
The phones will ring and keep ringing. Recent SNAP cuts have not yet jumped from news headlines to hitting home budgets and kitchen tables. River Bend Food Bank is going to hear from our neighbors directly, and soon: ‘My benefits went from $210 down to $81. What do I do?’
They are going to want answers from us.
SNAP is the federal program that is the best tool for fighting food insecurity. It delivers nine meals for every one meal distributed by River Bend. We don’t administer SNAP. All the same, we’re going to end up taking those phone calls and advocating for our neighbors during these unprecedented times.
Since the July 4 passage of historic legislative cuts, I’ve been asked by friends, community leaders and media – What happens now?
The answer is as straightforward as it is difficult. Historic SNAP cuts, the reduction or elimination of key social safety net programs, and now a government shutdown, means River Bend Food Bank lines will no doubt be longer and food availability will shrink.
Amid the highest national food insecurity rates in nearly a decade, River Bend staff and our 400+ hunger relief partners must prepare to carry out our responsibilities as waters get choppy.
Today, we must double down on our efforts of leveraging our team of committed professional staff as well as our network of hunger-relief partners and 3,000 volunteers to continue to deliver not only meals, but also dignity to our neighbors in need.
We don’t know how many people in our corner of eastern Iowa and western Illinois will lose SNAP benefits. We don’t know the number of civilians, military federal employees and employees of federal contractors will newly join our lines. We don’t know how the state of Iowa and Illinois will square shouldering additional administrative SNAP costs and what tradeoffs will be made in the areas of public health, nutrition and emergency response.
Last year River Bend delivered 17 million meals while experiencing increased food prices and reduced food donations. We’re committed to continuing to serve our neighbors and we’re incredibly grateful for all those who take a stand with us.
Monday night our Davenport warehouse was filled with the cheers and screams of some of the 16,000+ young adults celebrating the kick-off of the 2025 Student Hunger Drive. They’ve accepted the challenge of raising one million meals for our community.
Just last month we stood with our Million Meals Match ambassadors and community supporters who have committed to raising a collective $200,000 to add to the legacy of the 19 million meals raised by Student Hunger Drive over the past 39 years.
These initiatives and the commitment of individual and corporate donors empower River Bend to be the successful hub that it is in soliciting, rescuing, safely storing and distributing millions of pounds of food every year.
Thank you to the thousands who stand with us as we continue to stock the shelves of our Davenport, Galesburg and Dubuque warehouses and get needed food out to the meal sites, school and community pantries, and other programs in our community.
As we prepare for the calls at our front desk and calls to our partnerships team, know that every dollar donated and every can collected is a commitment to River Bend’s mission and makes answering those calls one step easier.
Chris Ford | Editorial
River Bend Food Bank President & CEO
